AU773300B2

AU773300B2 - Method and arrangement for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle

Info

Publication number: AU773300B2
Application number: AU13191/01A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Riku Pulli; Jarmo Puputti; Timo Soikkeli
Original assignee: Sandvik AB
Current assignee: Sandvik Intellectual Property AB
Priority date: 1999-10-29
Filing date: 2000-10-24
Publication date: 2004-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2020-10-24
Also published as: ZA200202862B; CA2387366A1; US6470989B1; CA2387366C; AU1319101A

Description

WO 01/31168 PCTISE00/02060 METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF A MINING

VEHICLE

Field of the invention The present invention relates to a method for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle, preferably an unmanned mining vehicle, the method comprising the defining of an accepted operating range for a mining vehicle provided with a power unit of its own and steered by means of wireless data transfer or an independent navigation system incorporated in the vehicle and controlling that the vehicle stays within the accepted operating range by stopping the vehicle if it tries to leave the operating range.

The present invention further relates to an arrangement for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle, preferably an unmanned mining vehicle, the arrangement comprising a mining vehicle provided with a power unit of its own, the mining vehicle being steered within a predetermined operating range by means of wireless data transfer or an independent navigation system incorporated in the vehicle.

Background Automated and other unmanned mining vehicles, such as vehicles steered from a distant control room on the ground, have been designed for excavation and mining industry with the aim of improving both the safety and working conditions of the staff and to improve productivity. An aspect that must always be taken into account in connection with the use of automated equipment is safety. It is an issue that has to be addressed also when remotecontrolled equipment is concerned, because the site of operation is not directly visible to the operator. Legislation on safety at work requires the use of safety arrangements when such equipment is used. Even if a site of operation is normally unmanned, every now and then there are persons and other vehicles, manned and unmanned, moving in the vicinity. In case a vehicle should break away from the area reserved for it, due to an operational disturbance for example, a serious risk of collision might occur. In prior art solutions the accepted operating range of unmanned mining vehicles is defined by using for example photocells and mechanical gates provided with limit switches. This is a fairly simple arrangement for an electrically driven vehicle to which the driving power is supplied over a supply cable from outside the operating range WO 01/31168 PCTSE00/02060 of the vehicle. If the vehicle for some reason tries to leave the accepted area, the photocells or gates detect this and the power supply from the supply cable is switched off. Consequently, the vehicle stops and cannot cause a safety hazard. This system functions well and reliably for mining vehicles, the power supply of which being controllable from the outside of the operating range. The situation is different for independent diesel- and battery-driven mining vehicles and those running on any other independent power source, because they have no fixed connection to the outside of the operating range. Instead, the control data needed for steering and controlling the equipment is transmitted as wireless data transfer from the control site to the vehicle. It is also possible that the vehicle is provided with an independent navigation system, which does not necessarily require any outside control during operation. In either case, it is impossible to arrange an emergency stop based on wireless data transfer alone because in the demanding conditions concerned, disturbances may occur in the radio connection.

Obiect and summary of the invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an arrangement that allows the safety of unmanned mining vehicles to be improved.

The method of the present invention is characterized in that the accepted operating range is defined using at least one horizontal barrier boom arranged at the operating site, above the highest point of the mining vehicle; that the mining vehicle is provided with a mast extending to said barrier boom; and in that when the mining vehicle is at the barrier boom, the mast hits the boom, thereby triggering an emergency stop switch arranged in connection with the mast to stop the mining vehicle.

The arrangement of the present invention is further characterized in that the arrangement comprises a mast arranged at the mining vehicle, the mast being provided to extend above other portions of the vehicle, and in that in connection with the mast there is provided an emergency stop switch which is provided to stop the mining vehicle when the mast hits a horizontal barrier boom defining the accepted operating range of the mining vehicle and arranged within the reach of the mast.

An essential idea of the present invention is that horizontal barrier booms are arranged at a suitable height at the upper part of a mine gallery or WO 01/31168 3 PCT/SEOO/02060 a similar operating site to determine an accepted travel range for an unmanned mining vehicle provided with a power unit of its own. The mining vehicle, in turn, is provided with a mast which is higher than other portions of the vehicle, so if the mining vehicle for some reason tries to leave the accepted area, the mast hits the boom, thereby triggering an emergency stop switch arranged in connection with the mast to stop the vehicle. This prevents the vehicle from leaving the predetermined area. Further, an essential idea of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is that movable barrier booms are arranged in mine galleries, the booms being pivotable in a transverse direction with respect to the mine gallery or to the side of it, thereby allowing the accepted travel range of the unmanned vehicle to be conveniently defined.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is now possible to essentially improve the operational safety of unmanned mining vehicles provided with a power unit of their own, such as diesel- or battery-driven vehicles, and to reliably control any exceptional circumstances. A vehicle that strays away from the accepted area causes a mechanical contact between the barrier boom and the emergency stop switch, whereby the movement of the vehicle is stopped before more serious damage is caused. The emergency stop operates mechanically; therefore any disturbances occurring in wireless data transfer as well as other unreliability factors are avoided. The arrangement of the present invention is also simple and economical to manufacture. Moreover, its structure is reliable and substantially maintenancefree.

Brief description of the drawinacs The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic top view of an excavation site where an arrangement of the present invention is applied, Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a loading vehicle provided with the arrangement of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic, enlarged sectional side view of the arrangement of the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention Figure 1 illustrates a simplified view of an operating site provided WO 01/31168 PCT/SE00/02060 with a passage prevention system of the present invention. The site comprises parallel mine galleries la le connected via transverse connecting galleries 2a and 2b. As shown in Figure 1, the junctions of the mining galleries and the connecting galleries are provided with booms 4 that can be opened and closed as needed. When necessary, booms can also be arranged at sections between the ends of the galleries. In the situation shown in Figure 1, the accepted operating area isolated for unmanned vehicles 5 comprises the connecting gallery 2a and the mining galleries 1 b and Id. Correspondingly, the connecting gallery 2b and the mine gallery ic are reserved for manned vehicles 6. Furthermore, mining galleries la and le are completely closed because of inspections or blasting operations, for example. It is naturally also possible that a plural number of isolated areas are arranged for unmanned vehicles by dividing the operating area with the booms, a separate unmanned vehicle being used in each area. This eliminates the risk of collision between the separate unmanned vehicles.

In this application, the term "barrier boom" is used to refer to a physical horizontal obstacle intentionally placed in a mine gallery, or the like, above the normal outer profile of a conventional mining vehicle and, at the same time, within the reach of a mast arranged on the mining vehicle, the boom thereby bordering the accepted operating range of the mining vehicle.

The boom may be a tube or a protrusion provided with a desired crosssectional profile and attached at one end to the wall of the mine gallery with a hinge allowing the boom to be pivoted to the side, parallel with the gallery, so that it does not function as a barrier. Further, the boom can be pivoted in a transverse position with respect to the gallery to restrict the travel area of the vehicle. The booms can also be suspended from the ceiling, which allows the accepted operating range to be more freely defined. The manufacturing of the booms and their installation in the mine is rapid and simple. The booms can be for example telescopically extendible or they may be assembled from prefabricated modules, whereby a boom suitable for each position of use may be assembled using standard parts. In addition, cable wires drawn across the gallery, or the like, may be used as barrier booms.

Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of a loading vehicle equipped with an emergency stop arrangement of the present invention. It is of course obvious that the mining vehicle can also be any other vehicle used in excavation industry, such as a rock drilling apparatus or a transport vehicle.

WO 01/31168 PCT/SE00/02060 The device meant for unmanned use is provided with a control system based on wireless data transfer, which allows the device to be remotely operated from a control cabin on the ground, for example. Although the control system of such a vehicle comprises integrated safety arrangements for the steering and telecommunications arrangements applied by the vehicle, the safety of the vehicle is now enhanced by means of a mechanical emergency stop. For this purpose the upper part of the vehicle is provided with a mast 7 rising above the rest of the vehicle structure. The mast can naturally be positioned at another place than the one shown in Figure 2, and there may also be more of them, one at each end of the vehicle, for example. In connection with the mast there is provided a switch, or the like, which triggers the emergency stop of the vehicle if the mast meets the barrier boom.

As illustrated in Figure 3, when the mast 7 hits the barrier boom 4, i.e. the mast bridges a gap between the highest point of the vehicle and the barrier boom, the mast 7 pivots with respect to the joint 8 arranged at its lower, foot end. In connection with the foot of the mast there are provided switches 9a and 9b which detect the pivoting of the mast and cause, either directly or indirectly, the emergency stop of the vehicle. A broken line is used in Figure 3 to show the mast in a position where the mast has hit the boom in the travel direction B and pivoted, as a result, in the opposite direction C. The switch 9a thus triggers the emergency stop. In their simplest form, the switches are mechanical limit switches, but it is obvious that other kind of sensors and switches can also be used. Thus for example inductive proximity sensors or joints that break down due to the movement of the mast can be applied for this purpose.

In principle, the mast of the presently claimed arrangement, together with its emergency stop switches, can also be put into manned vehicles, in which case it is possible to prevent the vehicles from being driven, accidentally or for some other reason, into the operating area isolated for unmanned mining vehicles. It is also possible to arrange the booms located at the operating site to be remotely controlled, whereby the operating area can be changed, when necessary, for instance from the control room provided for unmanned mining vehicles. Furthermore, it is possible to use booms arranged at different heights and, correspondingly, masts of different heights, whereby some of the mining vehicles may be allowed to leave their own area and enter the area of another mining vehicle. When necessary, the height of the mast 6 can be mechanically adjusted, or the vertical position of the booms changed.

It is also to be noted that wireless data transfer may comprise not only said radio connection, but also any other wireless data transfer, such as transfer based on wave energy, for example.

The drawings and the related specification are meant to only illustrate the idea of the present invention. The details of the present invention may vary within the scope of the claims.

In this specification, except where the context requires otherwise, the words "comprise", "comprises", and "comprising" mean "include", "includes" and "including", respectively. That is, when the invention is described or defined as comprising specified features, various embodiments of the same invention may also include additional features.

*S S* *oo H,\Leanne\Keep\13191-O1.doc 25/03/04

Claims

7- THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A method for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle, preferably an unmanned mining vehicle having a highest point and provided with a power unit of its own and steered by means of wireless data transfer or an independent navigation system incorporated in the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: A- defining an accepted operating range for the mining vehicle and B- controlling that the vehicle stays within the accepted operating range by stopping the vehicle if it tries to leave the operating range, characterized in that step A comprises the further step of arranging at least one horizontal barrier boom at the operating site, above the highest point of the mining vehicle and in that step B further includes the step of: providing the mining vehicle with a mast to bridge a gap between said highest point and said barrier boom for 20 triggering an emergency stop switch arranged in connection with the mast to stop the mining vehicle by the mast hitting the boom when the mining vehicle is at the barrier *oooo boom. 0o 9o 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that step A comprises the further steps of arranging a plurality of movable barrier booms at desired points of the operating site and altering the accepted operating oe range of the mining vehicle by changing the position of 30 the barrier boom. 3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that *ooo step A comprises the further steps of making the barrier booms as projecting beams which are turnably pivotable at one end to the wall of the mine gallery, the accepted operating range of the mining vehicle being determined by H:\Leanne\Keep\13191-01.doc 25/03/04 8 pivoting the booms in a transverse or longitudinal direction with respect to the mine gallery. 4. An arrangement for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle, preferably an unmanned mining vehicle, the arrangement comprising a mining vehicle provided with a power unit of its own, the mining vehicle being steered within a predetermined operating range by means of wireless data transfer or an independent navigation system incorporated in the vehicle, characterized in that the arrangement comprises a mast arranged at the mining vehicle, said mast extending above other portions of the vehicle, and in that in connection with the mast there is provided an emergency stop switch which is provided to stop the mining vehicle when the mast hits a horizontal barrier boom defining the accepted operating range of the mining vehicle and arranged within the reach of the mast. g o S• 5. An arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that at the lower end of the mast is provided a joint, the mast being provided to pivot with respect to the joint when the mast hits the barrier boom and in that the pivoting of the mast is provided to trigger the emergency stop switch arranged in connection with a foot of the 25 mast. 6. An arrangement according to claim 4 or *characterized in that the emergency stop switch is a mechanical limit switch. 7. A method for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. HI\Leanne\Keep\13191-01.doc 25/03/04
9- 8. An arrangement for preventing the passage of a mining vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 25th day of March 2004 SANDVIK AB (PUBL) By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia ooooo H\Leanne\Keep\13191-01.doc 25/03/04